selenite0

My every-other-Friday-off schedule can be good for getting the kids some playtime without the usual weekend crowds. After reading an article about kids and nature that

ernunnos had posted I decided it was finally time to take them to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Wildlife Refuge.

We started out with a pit stop at the Interpretive Center. This is where they have science classes for preschoolers (which we'll be back for) and other educational exhibits. So the kiddies got to see some turtles, a (mostly hidden) snake, and a prairie dog. The latter's response to us was to open an eye, notice we weren't holding out food, and go back to sleep.

Then it was off to the trails. Since we'd never been there before I just wanted to randomly explore . . . so I let Maggie pick the trail. Naturally she found the one leading off along the edge of a cliff. Great views, for people not trying to watch two kids and their footing simultaneously. But we got to the stepping stones down and to the next trail without either of them being a rolling stone. Maggie wanted "Left!" at the next trail branch, which did lead to a prettier part of the woods. It also led to a long loop of trail before going back to where we parked. Despite being watered often they were getting kinda red, so I abandoned the trail and we went back on the shoulder of the road. Not like there was much traffic . . .

On the way out we stopped off to have a look at the bison:

Fortunately they were too interested in lazing through the hot part of the day to check out if those little fingers were edible.

End result:
Lots of exercise, two happy children.